Tag: sunshine

Difficult fact to swallow

Swallows chatting on overhead lines above me, as if they were scoping out the property’s conservatory to set up home

 

A swallow feeds its young in a nest under the eaves. Photo by Alastair Smith


I was conducting a house viewing recently where the potential buyers had come for a second look before deciding whether they were going to make an offer or not. It was a lovely stone cottage in the Hambleton Hills with a gorgeous garden and wonderful views at the back.

Because the viewers had been before, I allowed them some privacy and selected a sunny spot outside to sit and wait until they had finished their visit. At the back of the house was a beautiful oak-framed conservatory, and I had opened up the bifold doors to make the most of the wonderful weather.

Not long after I sat down, I noticed a pair of swallows chattering on an overhead power line not far away. I had seen them on an earlier visit, and it had lifted my spirits knowing that the swallows had returned from the southern hemisphere, a portent of the summer soon to follow.

They seemed to be observing the conservatory, nodding to each other and chattering excitedly. It looked as if they were considering it as a suitable place to make a home. To a swallow, it would seem perfect, with sturdy timber y-frame struts and beams offering a selection of nesting sites under the vaulted ceiling, the slate roof providing safety, warmth and shelter.

Soon the birds left their spot on the overhead line, and performed a couple of ‘fly-bys’, sweeping round in wide circles, getting closer to the doors each time, then landing back on the power line to resume their excited chatter.

Moments later, they disappeared into a small shed in the neighbouring garden with a gap at the top of the door. Soon, they were back on the line, resuming their conversation.

Having studied the Swallowish language, I can tell you that the conversation went like this:

“Look at that spot Rita! What a fancy des res. So much light and and space, and with direct access to a bounty of food supplies.”

“Yes, it really is the dream home, isn’t it, Bertie. Imagine bringing up the children here, the garden is to die for. It is so much nicer than that pokey little shed you’ve made us move into. Dark and dingy, and only a wall for a view! The kids will be miserable there, whereas here…”

“I know dear, but then again it is so big, it could be a bit draughty…”

“Draughty? Nonsense! It’s south facing which is exactly what we need – all that sunlight! That grotty shed is north facing, and the roof has holes in it. The kids will be freezing, as will I! I didn’t fly 6000 miles from Johannesburg to spend my summer in a dingy old shed. I need warmth and a view while I bring up the kids, Bertie, and I deserve it after surviving that bloomin’ journey.”

“I suppose you are are right, Rita. I wonder if anyone else is interested in it? I wouldn’t want any dodgy neighbours.”

I kept my beady eye on them the whole time I was there, because anyone who has had swallows resident in their garden knows just how quickly they can dive into an open shed, garage or barn, and then get locked in. We once had to leave our own garage open for a day or so, keeping our eyes on it to see when both swallows had popped out so we could shut the door and prevent them from completing their nest. It felt a bit cruel, but they soon moved on to a more suitable nesting site.

Swallows fly south for the winter because the insects they rely upon for survival are no longer available. Before the 20th century, we didn’t even know they had left the country, and some scientists believed they hibernated, with one bizarre theory suggesting they survived at the bottom of ponds.

It was in 1912, after the introduction of bird ringing, that a swallow was found on a farm in South Africa bearing a ring that had been placed on its leg 18 months earlier by amateur naturalist John Masefield from Staffordshire.

However, more recently, with milder winters becoming commonplace, some swallows have been found to stay in the southern UK all year.

Is it just me, or does news unsettle some of you too?

Do you have opinions, memories or ideas to share with me? Get in touch with me using the ‘Contact’ button on the top right.

This column appeared in the Darlington & Stockton Times on Friday 30th and the Ryedale Gazette and Herald on Wednesday 28th May 2025

A load of old bull

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Part of Knossos Palace in Crete showing a frieze of the famous Minotaur, controversially reconstructed by Sir Arthur Evans

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Remains of walls and staircases at Knossos Palace in Crete that are thousands of years old

From the ancient Romans last week to the ancient Greeks this! I have just landed back from a wonderful holiday in Crete, the largest and most southerly of the Greek islands, and am basking in my recent memories of the sunny warm weather, the delicious local food and wine, the shimmering Mediterranean Sea and of course the sense of history that emanated from the very ground upon which I walked.

I have always wanted to visit Knossos, which lies just south of the capital city of Heraklion. Having learned about the myth of King Minos and the labyrinth-dwelling Minotaur I was thrilled to finally see the legendary palace for myself.

Knossos was a thriving settlement believed to be the oldest city in Europe, with evidence of habitation and worship dating from the early Neolithic period (10,000Bc – 2,000BC). The earliest signs of a palace date from around 1,900BC and subsequently it suffered destruction, rebuilding and expansion many times over, its huge yellow stones bearing witness to conflict, pestilence and volcanic eruptions until its ultimate demise in around 1,350BC from what seems to have been a huge fire. Whether it was a natural disaster, enemy attack or an unfortunate accident, no-one can be certain.

Although the palace was first discovered in 1877 by a Cretan businessman, the aptly-named Minos Kalokairinos, it is the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans who gets the most press thanks to supervising the largest excavation there. He first visited the island in 1894, then five years later bought a slice of land that included the site of Knossos. Having gained approval from the authorities, he uncovered the remains of a palace far greater than expected, a vast maze of chambers, halls, corridors, throne rooms, courtyards, kitchens, bathrooms and staircases that stretched across an area of around three acres.

His methods and conclusions have been the subject of criticism over the years, especially his inaccurate rebuilding of some ancient structures and temples, and the repainting of original friezes, but it was impossible to correct them without causing further damage to the remains.

However, unlike Lord Elgin of the ‘marbles’ fame (or should that be infamy?), he is admired in Greece because he gained local co-operation, didn’t steal what he found, and also because he shone a favourable international light upon the amazingly sophisticated ‘Minoan’ culture, the ancient civilisation Evans named after their mythical king.

King Minos appears in a number of legends, including Homer’s 8th century BC epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. According to the myth, the sea-god Poseidon sent Minos a bull to sacrifice, but because it was such a fine specimen, Minos couldn’t bring himself to kill it. This angered Poseidon so much that he cast a spell on Minos’ wife, Pasiphae, causing her to fall in love with the beast. As a result (let’s not dwell on the logistics of how) Pasiphae bore a son with the head of a bull and the body of a man. The furious King Minos had his inventor Daedalus construct a huge subterranean labyrinth from which this Minotaur could never escape.

As I ambled around Knossos, immersed in the legends and history seeping from the ruins, I noticed several references to ‘double axe’ symbols. In Ancient Greek, the word for the double-headed axe is ‘labrys’ and Evans had concluded that this was related to the word ‘labyrinth’. He became convinced that he had found the palace at the heart of the famous legend. However, no underground maze has ever been discovered.

So what happened to the Minotaur in the end? Having vanquished King Aegeus of Athens at war, Minos offered peace in exchange for seven Athenian girls and boys to be despatched every nine years to feed the Minotaur. To bring this barbarism to an end, Aegeus’s son Theseus sailed to Crete to kill the beast, despite no-one having ever escaped from the labyrinth alive. Upon arrival, he met and fell in love with Minos’ daughter, Princess Ariadne. Before entering the labyrinth, she gave him some thread which he could unravel on his way in and so find his way out again. Theseus managed to kill the creature and escape the maze and he and Ariadne sailed into the sunset to live happily ever after.

Except, this being Greek mythology, they didn’t. But that’s a story for another day.

I’d love to hear from you about your stories, memories, opinions and ideas for columns. Use the ‘Contact’ button on the top right of this page to get in touch.

This column appeared in the Darlington & Stockton Times on Friday 18th and the Ryedale Gazette and Herald on Wednesday 16th Oct 2024